riverviewlogs | introductory mingle: carnivale

Entry tags:

introductory mingle: carnivale

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: Introductory Log and Carnivale Celebration
when: July 1st - July 9th
where: Anywhere around the city.
warnings: please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

carnivale

In the days leading up to July 1st, residents new and old will notice preparations beginning, a flurry of activity getting the city ready for the upcoming celebration: Carnivale. This holiday is in celebration of music, and the onset of summer and warmer weather. The celebrations are marked by street parties, an extensive program of live musical performances, with a large parade (and paid holiday!) capping it off on July 8th.

celebrating music, and summer

After a couple of months of low-key or even solemn celebrations, it's time for Riverview Quarantine to throw a good, old-fashioned party. Carnivale is a city-wide festival that pretty much everyone gets into, and many residents take the entire week off so they can enjoy all the festivities. With events ranging from impromptu street parties, free live musical performances, food stands, themed club nights, adult lounges with kink shows, and topped off with a massive party parade, the holiday has a lot to offer for anyone who likes to sing, dance, and show some skin!

i. street parties and food

One of the staples of the Carnivale festival is the spontaneous street parties and food trucks and carts. It's not unusual during the holiday to turn a corner and run into a group of people dressed in bright colors and sequins having an impromptu party with a few drinks, and then be invited to join right in! Carnivale is a celebration of music as well as summer, so most shops and stalls will be blasting danceable music into the streets to facilitate these little street parties - it's considered a sign of good luck for the owner of a business if an impromptu Carnivale celebration starts up in front of their door.

Considering the proliferation of street parties and people out and about to celebrate the warmer weather, local business owners also take to the streets. Food carts, stands, and trucks pop up on almost every street corner offering a wide variety of food from savory treats to sweet desserts. Many of the carts are offering one free item to anyone dressed up for Carnivale - anything shimmery, shiny, or brightly colored will do!

ii. live musical performances

One of the major roads in the city center has been completely roped off for the entire week, and all along this street, various temporary stages have been set up, each with a nice hefty sound system. Volunteers hand out printed flyers, and digital boards are set up here and there with schedules of various performances that are all free to attend, ranging from well-known popular music artists to new up-and-comers or independent artists who are looking to make a name for themselves. This event is very widely advertised around the city, and is accepting entries until the very last minute.

At couple of the acts might be familiar faces to some of the residents.

Eichi Tenshouin has signed up himself and his friend Tsumugi Aoba into the music festival as a first-time appearing idol unit called "Higanbana." Dressed in all white with splashes of color (blue, largely, with only their headsets being a red spider lily), they carry a very commanding and angelic image together. They'll have a routine that emphasizes their great harmony with each other, taking turns doing solo lines and joining together to show off each of their talents. Singing and dancing, they interact heavily with the audience and will encourage a lot of involvement with speaking between songs and gestures, winks, and so on. Basically, they intend to make this Riverview's very first prominent "idol performance".

For his performance, Otabek Altin will start with rock remixes of a few popular pop songs. He wants to make sure that it starts off with recognizable pieces for some people, and he certainly thinks it is something that could get people excited even if they don't know it. Then, it shifts into a few original songs. They are upbeat, rock songs that he put together with the intention to make people dance and move, since he is a DJ. He'll end his set with a slower piece he put together that is also an original. Through the entire performance, he's focused and quiet, though he may occasionally try and excite the crowd with a few words.

Any other player-characters who are musically inclined are more than welcome to assume their character was fit in for a performance, and can post up a top-level with a rundown of their performance to get bonus Activity Points for posting a mingle!

iii. carnivale parade

The other main attraction of Carnivale week comes on July 8th, which is a paid holiday for everyone in the city. The Carnivale Parade will be starting out by City Hall and winding through downtown in a lazy pattern so everyone in the city has a chance to see it. There will be all sorts of floats, dancers, marching bands, with all sorts of clubs, businesses, and other organizations represented. The theme is theatrical, big and showy, bright and colorful, sparkly and shiny, with loud music and lots of glitz and glamour. Observers can expect great music, excellent dancing and marching shows, neat vehicles provided by classic car clubs, the fire, police, and Perimeter Guard. They can also expect a lot of party favors, whether it's a sparkly plastic beaded necklace, a fan to take the edge off the heat, candy, popsicles, a temporary tattoo, or any number of other little treats or toys to be tossed into the crowd - some of them fit for kids and teens, others of a more 'adult' nature handed out a bit more discreetly to anyone who looks the part.

And make sure you wear your waterproof mascara - Carnivale floats have a tendency of spraying or spritzing water, both in an unspoken competition to see who can make the biggest water-refraction rainbow in the air, and to keep observers cool in the new summer heat.

iv. adult: lounges and kink exhibition

Thanks to the Carnivale tradition of showing as much skin as possible, some event organizers' minds have turned to topics of a more adult nature. In the evenings, residents may see clubs doing "lounge nights"; these adults-only events have bouncers IDing everyone at the door to ensure they're 18+. The themes may vary, from very specific niche themes like 'golden age superheroes' to broad themes like 'rainbows,' and each event is clearly marked as what it is - all-nude or clothing-optional, and can host events ranging from amateur to professional exotic dancing, food served off of nude bodies, anonymous masked hookups, or just provide a comfortable space where casual sex is encouraged with whoever happens to be around. Various legal substances can be found at these lounges, but nothing that would cause violation of consent, and every substance would be clearly labeled and have warnings to ensure that no one partakes unless they choose to. Please be sure to warn in the subject line for sexual content or drug use (since some mild party drugs are legal in Riverview).

For the weekend from July 7th-9th, there will be a kink exhibition in one of the large exhibition centers downtown, limited to characters 18+. The exhibition is a sexy adult informational convention featuring various kinks and fetishes. Whether you're into leather, latex, lace, or anything else, you'll be able to find the clothes, toys, guides, books, erotica, fiction, and a wide variety of other interesting stuff to explore. While the atmosphere is sex-positive and there are private and public (for the voyeurs and exhibitionists in the room) venues for having sex, it's definitely focused on exploration and information about different stuff to try.

v. roommates or wildcard

Feel free to use this prompt to meet new roommates, for the purpose of getting to know each other, or hit up one of the mod-posted prompts for each Communal Floor. Or if you have an idea for a prompt that isn't in this list, set during Carnivale, feel free to write it up!

visual inspiration

click on thumbnails for larger view

Credit: image i: Roger Patterson Jr.; image ii: Syd Mead; image iii: screencap from the movie Paprika; image iv: siamon89

navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ That is exactly what she wants, actually, how nice of him to propose it first. She's sure she could go and find it herself, but how will she know if she should bother without trying it first? Plus there's the fact that there's so much going on here, she's likely to get distracted or lost before she even finds where it came from...

In any case, she nods with a curious cock of her head, at least knowing better than to look too eager about such a simple thing. ]

What's the deal?

[Well, that gets a smirk on his face again. He even lets out a chuckle - he can read those tiny little hints of interest, he knows she's into the idea immediately.]

Whatever you think is worth a bite of this. [He shrugs.] Usual fare is information - tell me something I don't know and might want to.

[ Information is the most easily fulfilled request of all — particularly when it's so open ended. And true, it's also the most valuable thing to trade, but she's sure she can think of a few tidbits without any personal value to her. First, though, she arranges her face into something vaguely exasperated. ]

I've only just met you, how should I know what you consider worth knowing? [ She considers him for a brief moment or two, then: ] Give me a topic, at least.

Everything's worth knowing. Every fact on the planet has someone who will pay money to find out about it. [But as for a topic... he tips his head as he thinks.] Who do you consider the most important person on our ah... displaced network?

[It's a broad enough question, but the really juicy bit is what her definition of 'important' is.]

[ That's almost a tricky question — she hasn't been long in this world, and on top of that barely pays attention to the network. Fortunately, it has a pretty easy answer. She smiles, sets down the drink cup, and draws a hand through her hair. It's no polishing her scales, but it will do. ]

Easy enough. In terms of potential and capacity — I am.

Oh?

[That's definitely a lot of information. Already he can pinpoint a few common weaknesses for people that would nominate themselves. But his expression says that he's still trying to work out something he can learn from it.]

Why do you say that?

[If nothing else, he's fascinated by her. There's barely any sarcasm in his voice.]

[ There's a fine line between confidence and what even Onyx can recognize as unfounded bragging. While she'd love to talk all about how powerful and skillful she already is, and how her abilities are only growing, and all the promises of greatness in her queen's name she's been given — she forces herself just to keep it to a coy shrug and a satisfied smile. ]

I already told you who I consider most important and what I based it on — isn't that enough for our deal?

[So she's smart, to boot. That gets a lazy smile out of Dodger, and he offers her the gyro.]

You can keep it if you like it. You earned it.

[At the very least, she's definitely interesting. And doing nice things for interesting people is the best way to get more information of interest.]

[ heck yeah, score. She sets down her current sandwich along with her drink, ready to divert her attention to this new and more interesting thing. She takes it carefully, gingerly, takes the sort of bite she'd seen him taking, and ... oh, yeah, this is good. He's not getting this back. She doesn't say as much, but she does give the thing her undivided attention and get to the business of polishing it off. This might take a minute or so, give her a sec. ]

[He has to hold back a laugh, watching her devour the thing. And he thought he ate like a fatass... well, hopefully she doesn't catch the condescending look he's giving her before he manages to pull himself back to his lazy Cheshire grin.]

So - since you're the most important person around, I figure we should trade names. People call me Dodger.

[ The look can stay Dodger's little secret, because Onyx is definitely thoroughly distracted. The only downside, as she finishes off the last few bites, is that she's beginning to feel that uncomfortable fullness in her tiny human stomach, and she doubts she can finish her original meal now. Ah, life is rough.

She finishes off her last bite, takes a sip of the drink, and turns a satisfied smile at last onto Dodger. She's full and fed, and feeling very tolerant and well-disposed. ]

People call me Onyx. [ What a showy way to put that. She likes it. ]

[He raises his brows at that - he's suitably impressed by her name, as much as he is by her appearance.]

Onyx, huh. [His head tips to the side as he looks her over.] You a human?

[The question is only partly based on her appearance. Yes, she does look a little odd, particularly her eyes - but in his experience, there are very few human women who would be that content stuffing themselves in front of a man.

~~Yes, his logic is extremely misogynistic. Are you surprised.~~]

[ Well there's an unsettling question — what's she doing wrong to make him doubt that she is? Her smile drops off and her gaze turns sharp. ]

Why wouldn't I be?

[ Despite the fact that there are all sorts of non-human species around here she's never even heard of... she supposes it's pretty reasonable she could be something that's not quite human, but close. But she's gotta ask. ]

Because you ask questions like that.

[It was a shot in the dark, all things considered, but that question confirms it in his mind. For whatever reason, she seems set on pretending to be human... and she's nervous about being discovered. Interesting.]

I'm not human myself - always interesting to meet others.

[ Excuse you, she feels that was a perfectly reasonable question. She's not quite ready to confirm but sets aside denying for now, instead focusing more closely on Dodger himself. ]

What are you, then? You look human. [ So does she, of course. Maybe looking human means less here than she thought. ]

Edited 2017-07-07 20:26 (UTC)

Mutant.

[As an example, he pulls a cigarette from his pocket and snaps his fingers, lighting it from the flame on his fingertips. He's even polite enough to offer her to pack, in case she'd like one.]

Humans that didn't come out quite right, and ended up with superhuman abilities. Not gonna go into the sob story - the interesting thing here is figuring out what you are.

[ Whoa, hang on, now she's actually interested. Also kinda interested in that stick he's smoking. So she leans forward to accept one of those, eyes lingering on the way he'd lit it. Both to see how it's done, and with a keen eye to the the flame at his fingertip. She holds hers thoughtfully, not quite ready to light it yet. ]

Are you sure? I would have said the interesting thing here is a... mutant. [ She says the word carefully, clearly not familiar with it. ] What else can you do?

[His eyes narrow slightly, as he keeps his fingertips lit for her to light her cigarette if she wants to. He can tell she doesn't quite know what it is, further proof that she's not human... but that just means whatever she does with it is worth the annoyance of being left hanging for now.]

I think we're getting off the subject. [He replies evenly.] Tell me what you are, then we can swap stories.

[ Rather than take the proffered light along with the cigarette, she leans back from him and holds a hand to the end of hers, as he had. And in the same way, a lick of flame lights at the end of her finger. She lights the thing herself — but still doesn't actually smoke it. She looks a little pleased with herself as her gaze lands on him again. ]

I'm a mage. From Krynn, a world nothing at all like this one. We don't have mutants, or these [ she gestures to the cigarette ] —or anything else of this sort. You'll have to forgive me if it all seems new to me.

[ There, she figures that's a pretty good cover. ]

[....That checks out, he guesses. He's got no reason not to believe her. Instead he simply files the knowledge away for later, and dispels the flames on his fingers with a smooth motion.]

You'd better smoke that, if you want to get anything out of it. [He takes a deep drag as an example, and smoke spills from his lips as he speaks without blowing it out.] You don't need instructions, do you?

It doesn't look that complicated.

[ It's just... put it in your mouth and breathe in. She does that, drawing the smoke into her mouth and lungs in a deep, long breath— and then a few seconds later it all comes out again in a rush as her coughing fit starts. She leans over with it, dropping the cigarette as she sputters, changing her mind in record time about the idea of aping everything this guy does. Humans — or mutants, whatever — can keep some of their habits. ]

[Okay, he really can't help laughing at that display. He wasted a cigarette, but god damn was it worth it to see her sputtering.]

You are fucking adorable.

[He takes another drag from his cigarette, quelling his laughter down to a lazy smirk and a quiet chuckle.]

Ask whatever you want. Show like that deserves some payment.

[ Adorable isn't a word that should ever apply to her. She should be beautiful, fearsome, terrifying — but all of this goes unsaid, as the coughing goes on. By the time she finally has it under control she's a little breathless, which doesn't stop her from aiming a glare over at him. ]

How aren't you coughing?

[ Is her first question, apparently. Pride demands she ask about these stupid things before anything more useful. ]

Practice.

[And an inability to burn his lungs, that also helps. He still coughed when he was... what, 13? 14? But it's been over a decade since he had trouble with them, either way.]

Once you smoke enough of these, you stop needing to cough. I'll provide if you wanna learn, but I think you can come up with a better topic for conversation.

[ Ugh, no thanks. She has no interest in ever going through that again, thanks. It hadn't even tasted good, so as far as she's concerned there's no benefit. She takes a deep breath, straightens her shoulders, and combs a hand quickly through her hair. Mostly all better.

He's right, though, she can come up with a better topic, and as she fixes her eyes back onto him she does. ]

What else can you do? As a mutant.

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i don't even know how that happened wth

she just wanted to be part of things

i guess so

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